"We can survive today because of the help of the muan maha prachachon (great mass of people)," PDRC core member Sathit Wongnongtoey said.
"We don't receive financial support from big business companies as others claim." Critics say the PDRC is backed by big business figures and other influential people.
Some accuse the PDRC of receiving funding from those who have lost benefits under the so-called Thaksin regime.
PDRC spokesman Akanat Promphan dismissed the claims, saying the movement was being run by the grace of the people.
About 500,000-1 million baht is donated to the PDRC each day, all in cash, since PDRC bank accounts were frozen by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) last month, he said.
The donations are much higher on days when PDRC secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban marches from the Ratchadamnoen main stage to invite people to join his protest.
On Dec 19-20, he marched from Ratchadamnoen to Asok, Silom and Yaowarat where thousands of supporters handed money to him along the route.
About 12 million baht was given to the PDRC during the two-day march.
A total of more than 1.7 million baht in cash was handed to him during his Sunday march through the Ban Mor-Pahurad-Worachak community.
Taken from the first day of the protest at Samsen in November, the movement has raised about 50 million baht.
The Ratchadamnoen rally cost around 4-5 million baht a day, including stage organising, food and daily allowances for volunteers.
He said the cost for running the seven stages under the Bangkok shutdown plan on Jan 13 would be higher.
"If you ask if the donations are enough, they're enough though it's tough to fund everything," he said.
"We've been trying to economise. We don't use any [event] organisers to run our anti-government campaign. Sometimes PDRC leaders pay out of their own pockets first, but we will make it through."
In the early days of the rally, Mr Suthep sold and mortgaged his land to finance the movement. The PDRC also received donations from supporters through two bank accounts _ the "Ratchadamnoen Kitchen account" and "Aid for People Affected by Demonstrations account".
The first account paid for food. The second, with a 6-million-baht balance, was intended to pay for protesters who were hurt during the demonstrations.
After the accounts were seized, the PDRC managed to deliver 1 million baht to the families of two protesters who were killed _ protester Wasu Suchantabut, and guard Yutthana Ong-art.
Wasu was shot on Dec 26 while taking part in the Network of Students and People for Thailand's Reform (NSPTR) protest to block attempts by parties to register candidates for the election.
Yutthana was killed in a pre-dawn gun attack on Dec 28 at a protest site at Chamai Maruchet Bridge.
The PDRC will give another 1 million baht to the family of Pol Snr Sgt Maj Narong Pitisit, who was killed during a skirmish between protesters and riot police at the Thai-Japanese Stadium on Dec 26.
Read the original story here.